Snowflake
by A-Dream's-Nightmare
Summary: Her name was Holly, and she loved the snow.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one:

How long had it been? Six months? Seven? Jack counted the months on his fingers from April to November. Yes, it had been a little over seven months since he'd been home. A grin lit up his face when he realized that it was high time for winter to return to the sleepy little town of Burgess. And that meant that he would finally be able to see Jamie, the first child to ever see him. Though he was the spirit of winter, it still brought a warmth to Jack's heart when he thought on that dark night so long ago when Jamie had whispered "Jack Frost."

All hope had been lost and it truly looked like Pitch Black would have won, but leave it Jamie to be the last child on Earth to still believe. Jack had watched the boy grow up, and never once did he give up on him, knowing Jamie's willingness to believe. But he never would've thought that all it took to be believed in was a frosted bunny and some snow indoors.

It was what got Jack through the summer months. Sure, he was busy bringing snow to the regions that never really got summer. And he was still trying to get accustomed to being a Guardian and finally interacting with the other spirits. Ut on quiet nights like this one, when he wasn't with Sandy, he would sit quietly in his room, thinking. To have a child believe in him... six, even! It was better than Jack could've ever imagined. In fact, his entire existence was better than it had been in his entire 300 years! He had friends, a family, and someplace to call his own.

Imagine his surprise when North first offered him a room at the North Pole to have for his very own. It didn't have the sentimental value as his pond in Burgess did, but it was his own, and he had a bed. Which he sat on now, just staring out the window at the falling snowflakes. He had speechless the first time he saw this room, not really believing that it was his.

Eventually, he stood up and stretched. The clock struck midnight and a smile spread onto his face. He could finally head out. The weatherman had predicted the first winter storm to hit Burgess this weekend, and who was he to let them down? Whooping with laughter he flew out the window and into the snow, heading straight for home. Oh, the fun he would have this winter.  
_

North watched Jack Frost fly away from the window of his workshop. He knew where the lad was going, and he was happy for him. Jamie would be happy to see his hero again, and Jack was just as excited. For the past week, the winter spirit had been so restless, just waiting for his chance to return home.

Yet at the thought of Jack Frost's first real friend, North felt a sudden surge of guilt. It had been what, 300 years, and Jack finally made a friend? Nay, Jamie was the first person willing to even be the winter spirit's friend. Even they, the Guardians, hadn't been all too friendly to Jack until Manny chose him as the new Guardian.

North could never understand why Jack never held it agsinst them, but he supposed that was just who Jack was. He was too good a soul to hold a grudge. It was why he was chosen to continue after his death.

Yet... none of them had seen it until many many years later. Sure, he had seen the signs. Sure, he even thought it directly once or twice, but he never pondered it for more than a minute. But the truth was still there, hidden underneath all the smiles, the jokes, the fun...

Jack Frost was lonely.

He had been all alone for 300 years and now that he had social interaction, he loved it. Craved it, even. Sandy was the first to see it. He saw that even though no one could see Jack or talk to him, he still talked to the children everyday. He watched over them and watched them growing up, just like he did with all the kids of Burgess.

North then saw it himself on the day they left Burgess seven months ago. The nervousness when Tooth hugged him and he wasn't quite sure how to react. The utter shock but complete joy when Jamie hugged him.

Sandy had nugded North and pointed, and with Sandy's subtle sand messages, North found out one very important fact: those had been Jack's first hugs.

In the days that followed, North made sure to give the boy a big bear hug every chance he had. Though he complained that his bones were breaking, he always had such a massive smile on his face.

Bunnymund and Tooth learned the day that Jack was given his own room at the North Pole. It was a gift from all of them to him, as they surprised him with it. Despite their smiles, the spirit had been completely speechless, something Bunnymund teased him for. 'So this is how we finally get you to shut up, eh mate?'

But once assured that was indeed his own room, after he asked North three times if it was alright, Jack was ecstatic.

"My own room!" he flew in, looking all around, "I've never had one before."

Bunny teased," Three hundred years and this is your first room? Have you been living under a rock this whole time?"

Still smiling, Jack shook his head," Very comical, Bunny. I've always just stayed in Burgess."

And then Toothiana figured it out. "Jack..." she asked worriedly, in her tone that spoke of her motherly nature, "Just where in Burgess did you sleep?"

"At the pond, of course," he said matter-of-factly," That's always been home."

As he continued examining his room, excited, the rest of them exchanged glances. North and Sandy shrugged at Bunnymund and Tooth's expressions, and Bunny sighed, "Oh boy..."

After that, Tooth took it upon herself to at least spend some time with. Jack. About once a week, he was at the Tooth Palace to visit her. But with her busy schedule, she couldn't do much more than talk, but that was alright with them. Toothi was such a chatterbox and Jack enjoyed helping her collect teeth during the night.

So as Jack flew off to his home and birthplace, North was glad that he finally had a child that could see him. Yet that was only for a couple months out of the year...

"What he needs is a companion," North mused. Someone to work with him all throughout the year, like North's yetis or Tooth's fairies. "Oh well," he shrugged and went back to his work, "Will figure it out later."


	2. Chapter 2

"The kids will love this," Jack grinned wide, admiring his handiwork. From midnight to seven in the morning, he had whipped up a massive snowstorm to blanket the entire town of Burgess in a fresh coat of snow. The first of the season, and he would be sure to keep it there the entire winter. Even now, large fluffy snowflakes fell from the sky, drifting slowly down to earth and its inhabitants.

He laughed joyfully from his perch in a tree, watching the snow fall with the backdrop of the sunrise. It would be a warm day, and that was perfect. Already, he could feel the sun's rays warming the air, melting his snow just a tiny bit. He reached a hand out and scooped up a snowball. Even without his powers, the snow was soft and sticky, perfect for building forts and snowmen and having snowball fights.

Already, he planned a perfect day with lightly falling snow, snowball fights with his friends, and spending the entire day in the snow. His grin became wider as the sun finally climbed over the horizon, signalling the day's start. Soon, the children would wake up to see the snow on the ground and know it was from him.

* * *

The first thing she noticed was it was cold. And not just a brisk fall sort of cold, but really really cold. True blue winter cold; the kind that seeped into your bones and settled there, leaving you feeling numb and sort of odd, but comforting all the same. It felt like home.

_'Home!'_ echoed in her mind and she bolted up. As her blankets fell away, the cold became more prominent, jolting her even more awake. With wide and excited eyes, she looked out the window, remembering that she left it open the night before, enjoying the late fall's icy wind. Fluffy snowflakes drifted past her window, flurries that could cloud up the windowsill if given the chance. A cold wind blew right at that moment, blowing a flurry of snow into her room and swirling it about before it disappeared.

_'The snow! It's here!'_ she very nearly cheered outwardly, but stopped herself at the last moment, remembering her brother sleeping down the hall. With a rush of excitement, she threw herself from the bed, eager to be dressed and out in that snow. In her excitement, however, she became entangled in her own blankets and fell with a flop to the hard wooden floor.

Yet even as a bruise was surely forming on her head, she could not help her joyous laughter. Oh how she had waited so long for this day! Ever since she moved to this little sleepy town, that was so much farther south from her home, she dreamed of the day when the view outside her window would be the same as it had been back home. A world filled with snow and cold, glittering brilliantly in the sunlight and glowing radiantly in the moonlight.

And that day had come. Finally mustering herself through her morning routine, she rushed down the hall and out the front door, not even bothering to wake up her brother or don a winter coat. Dashing through the snowdrift blocking the sidewalk, she laughed in utter glee before making her way down the street. Surely this would be a snow day, and she knew just the right people to spend the day with.

* * *

"Snow! Sophie, there's snow outside!" Jamie ran about excitedly, hardly containing his joy. Still too young to fully understand the importance of the snow's appearance, Sophie just laughed along and cheered, clapping her hands. As long as her beloved big brother was happy, then so was she.

"Snow! Snow! Snow!" she sang along, hopping in her own characteristic way. Jamie grinned widely, already zooming around his room, trying to don his winter clothes as fast as he could. First went his coat, then his scarf, then he stuffed his hands into his mittens.

"Whoa, hold it right there, mister," the voice of his mother stopped him suddenly, as she appeared in the doorway of his room. Freezing in the middle of one foot halfway into a boot, Jamie looked up at her. His mother shook her head lightly with a small smile, seeing the light in both her children's eyes. Just seeing them so happy was such a sight to see, and it made her feel so unbelievably joyful as well. But first things come first...

"You haven't forgotten about breakfast, have you?" she reminded them, smile growing a little wider as Jamie's stomach chose that moment to rumble. Sophie laughed and clapped her hands at the sound, finding it and her brother's red face oh so amusing. Eventually, as his mother chuckled as well, even Jamie joined in.

"Come on then," she said, stepping forward to pick up Sophie in her arms. She brushed her daughter's hair out of her eyes; it was getting _so_ long, and heading for the kitchen. After breakfast, she would have to be sure to dress her warmly for the cold snow, though it looked like at least her son was ready already. "Besides," she continued as Jamie followed behind, still determined to pull his boots on as he hopped down the hallway," We have to wait for Sophie's babysitter to arrive."

At her words, Jamie grinned so widely that he was sure his cheeks would hurt later. Holly was coming today?!

* * *

Little did the siblings know, a figure had been floating outside Jamie's window, a matching grin alighting his own face. Jack Frost shook his head, understanding Jamie's eagerness to come outside, as it matched his own, but his rumbling stomach _had_ been funny. Oh well, he waited this long, a few more minutes while they ate breakfast wouldn't kill him, would it? If he could last 300 years, then he could wait a half hour more.

Though... he never remembered them having a babysitter. Not since Jamie was just a baby. Had Jamie's mom gotten a babysitter for Sophie over the summer?


End file.
